Collegiate Times

The Virginia Tech football team defeated the Duke Blue Devils on the road in Durham, N.C. on Saturday by a score of 43-14.

The win gives the Hokies an overall record of 6-1 and a conference record of 3-0, while Duke falls to 1-6 (0-4 ACC) on the season.

On a day when the Hokies matched up against the second-worst pass defense in the conference, starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor managed to pass for 88 yards and a touchdown to redshirt senior wide receiver Josh Morgan before sustaining a second quarter right ankle sprain that ended his day. Taylor is currently listed as questionable for the Boston College game in a week and a half.

The departure of Taylor set the stage for backup quarterback Sean Glennon, who statistically played his best game of the season. In a little over two quarters of work, Glennon threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

"We haven't been able to move the ball like that at any other times in the season. I think it's the best two quarters of offense we've had all season," said quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain.

Glennon's longest pass came on a 40-yard touchdown throw to Josh Morgan late in the third quarter that put the Hokies up by 36.

"Thank goodness Sean Glennon was a Hokie today because we needed him in there," said Tech head coach Frank Beamer. "I thought he did a fantastic job for this football team."

Taylor and Glennon combined to throw for 346 yards, a season high for the team. Six different offensive players caught passes, including wide receiver Eddie Royal, who hauled in his first touchdown of the season and doubled his season total of reception yards with 90 in the game

"It feels good to be one of the playmakers on offense. Glennon did a good job of spreading the ball around. All of us got touches," Royal said. "We feel good about it going into the Boston College game. We needed a good game and we got that today."

Despite the aerial assault, the Hokies only managed to rush for 99 yards. Only East Carolina and LSU have held the Hokies to fewer yards on the ground this season. Branden Ore lead all rushers with 37 yards and a touchdown, averaging just 2.2 yards on his 17 carries.

Tech's defense remained staunch, allowing 194 offensive yards and sacking Blue Devil quarterback Thaddeus Lewis five times. In place of the injured Vince Hall, inside linebacker Brett Warren led the team in tackles, racking up 11. Warren also posted an interception, a sack and three tackles for a loss.

Tech's strong play on special teams led to advantageous field position for the Hokies all day, and Eddie Royal contributed another impressive return, only to have it called back on a block in the back.

"That was a shame," said Beamer of the return. "It just seems to come together for us. If you can block kicks on defense, you can return them on offense."

Cornerback Stephen Virgil was also able to block a Blue Devil punt in the middle of the second quarter. The blocked punt gave the Hokies the

ball at the Duke two-yard line and allowed running back Branden Ore to punch it for a touchdown on the next play.

Jud Dunlevy made three of the four field goals he attempted. His sole miss, a 42-yard kick at the beginning of the second quarter, was his first miss on the season. Later in the game, Dunlevy pushed an extra point wide right in the third quarter after a Josh Morgan 40-yard touchdown reception, which was thrown by Glennon.

Despite allowing the Hokies the massive amount of 445 yards of total offense, the Blue Devils' defense was able to record eleven tackles for losses and four sacks. Junior linebacker Michael Taulilli led all defensive players with 13 tackles. In addition, Taulilli managed to intercept the first pass attempted by Hokies' third string quarterback Cory Holt early in the fourth quarter.

"They hang tough," Beamer said of the Blue Devils. "They play hard in the fourth quarter. I really think they are getting better."

The win was the Hokies' seventh straight over the Blue Devils. Duke has not defeated Tech since 1981.

"Overall, I thought it was a good win for this program," said Beamer. "Now we get a little time off and get ready for a huge game."

Virginia Tech will resume play when they host the No. 3 Boston College Eagles on Thursday, October 25 at